Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 120
The day I met the strange man was the weekend when I met Noh Bi-hyuk, Park Ha-eun, and Baek Seo-jin together.
“Hello. I’m Park Ha-eun. You are really pretty!”
“Oh, thank you. I’m Baek Seo-jin. You’re so pretty too….”
Do girls always compliment each other like this when they first meet?
‘It’s better than being awkward.’
Park Ha-eun and Baek Seo-jin got closer much faster than I expected.
By the time we had tteokbokki for lunch, they had some distance between them, but after going to the bathroom together, they came back linking arms.
“Because of Yeon-jae, my summer was full of heartbreak….”
“Oh my, really? Tell me more.”
I watched them chat and leave the store first.
“……Shouldn’t we step aside?”
“Seems like it.”
I answered Noh Bi-hyuk, who asked with a disgruntled voice.
The four of us went to a karaoke room, an escape room, and finally, we arrived at the cinema.
The relatively smooth atmosphere broke down when it came to choosing a movie.
“I said I don’t like romance.”
“Oh, come on, just watch it. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, can’t you watch what I want for once?”
“Yeah, listen to Ha-eun!”
Park Ha-eun suggested a romance movie, and Noh Bi-hyuk was vehemently against it.
The funny thing was, Baek Seo-jin didn’t seem interested in romance either, but as soon as Noh Bi-hyuk opposed it, she immediately changed her stance. She was quite an interesting character.
“Guys, if you’re going to argue, do it quietly. This is a public place.”
“Hey. You should be on my side.”
I laughed at Noh Bi-hyuk’s grumbling.
“Okay. You and I will watch something else. Ha-eun and Seo-jin can watch the romance movie. Is that okay?”
They looked a bit disappointed but seemed to accept that this was the best compromise and quietly dispersed.
“Bi-hyuk, is there something you want to watch?”
“Anything but romance.”
“You don’t like romance? But you enjoyed ‘Goodbye, My Summer’.”
“I only watched the parts you were in. I don’t like watching guys and girls flirting around.”
Noh Bi-hyuk’s face looked sulky as he spoke.
‘What part of this upset him?’
I couldn’t guess, but if I asked now, he would definitely act up, accusing me of treating him like a kid.
I decided to just soothe him and bought tickets for any movie.
“Bi-hyuk.”
“What.”
“This is my first time at a movie theater.”
“…? Really?”
When I nodded, he looked at me with wide eyes.
“Why? You’ve never been here before?”
“No. I had no one to go with. It also felt like a waste of money.”
“Now you have Jin-bae hyung and Jung-hyun hyung, don’t you?”
“With the hyungs, we just watch at home. If we go out, people recognize us.”
Jung-hyun hyung was too famous for a mask to make any difference, and Jin-bae hyung was so big that he drew attention wherever he went.
Of course, I was still wearing a mask now, but standing alone with Noh Bi-hyuk, we probably just looked like ordinary guys.
“Yeon-jae, you know you have to take off your shoes before entering the theater, right? That’s proper etiquette.”
He poked my arm playfully, his face full of mischief.
“You take yours off first, then.”
“…If I take them off, you’ll really take yours off too?”
“Yeah.”
Does he think I’m an idiot?
Noh Bi-hyuk hesitated for a moment in front of the theater, then actually took off his shoes.
And I went in first, leaving him behind.
“Hey! Yeon―. What are you doing?!”
“Be quiet, Bi-hyuk. That’s proper etiquette.”
When I calmly scolded him, he grumbled and put his arm around my shoulders in a headlock.
He had grown taller than me before I knew it.
What was he, a bean sprout? He seemed to grow taller every time I saw him.
“What kind of movie is this? There’s no one here.”
“It looks like an indie film.”
The large theater was nearly empty.
There were only a few other people besides us.
I thought it was actually nice, but Noh Bi-hyuk poked my cheek.
“Yeon-jae, look over there.”
“Where?”
He pointed to the far end of the seats.
A man with messy hair in a shabby trench coat was muttering to himself.
“Aren’t you cold in this weather? That coat looks really thin.”
“Yeah.”
It was only a few days before Christmas.
The streets were full of people in thick padding jackets and scarves, yet there he was in a thin coat.
“He won’t keep muttering when the movie starts, right?”
“Let’s hope not. Let’s not worry about him.”
The man gave off an eerie vibe. It was best not to get involved.
Thankfully, he stayed quiet after the movie started.
“Bi-hyuk, the movie’s over.”
“Huh?”
“You slept well.”
Noh Bi-hyuk had fallen asleep shortly after the movie started.
He looked embarrassed.
“The movie was too boring.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“I didn’t snore, did I? I didn’t disturb you, right? Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, you didn’t disturb me. The movie was fine.”
Honestly, it was just okay. It was calm, but I couldn’t figure out its point.
Watching a movie at a theater was completely different from watching it at home.
‘I understand why people come to theaters.’
It was quite nice to be able to focus solely for two hours in the darkness.
“The others are waiting at a café. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
As we gathered our trash and headed down the steps, I noticed something.
The man was already gone, but he had left something behind.
I picked up a thick notebook left on the seat.
“That guy left this?”
“Yes. Let’s give it to the staff.”
The notebook was quite heavy.
I wasn’t curious about its contents and just planned to hand it over to the staff.
That is, until the man shouted from behind.
“Hey!!!”
“…?”
“Hands off my notebook! It’s mine!!”
What’s with him?
I couldn’t see his eyes because of his long hair, but it was clear he was angry.
He approached me as if he would push me any second.
“Whoa, calm down.”
“Who are you?!”
“I’m his friend. Who are you?”
All I could see was Noh Bi-hyuk’s back. I couldn’t see past him.
I tapped his back, meaning for him to step aside, but he was too focused on arguing with the man.
“Who are you calling old? How old are you?”
“I’m younger than you, obviously. That’s why I spoke casually.”
“What? You have a problem with that?”
“Of course I do. Can’t you see my friend is scared?”
I wasn’t scared at all. Why was he so worked up?
Seeing no way to intervene, I slid the notebook between them.
“Here, take it.”
“Hurry up and give it to me!”
“Don’t shout in public. And if it’s that important, you should take better care of it. We’re leaving.”
I pulled Noh Bi-hyuk away as he glared at the man.
I patted his shoulder to calm him as we exited the theater, but the man followed us.
“Hey. Did you look inside? You read it, didn’t you?!”
“……”
He was really crazy.
I stopped Noh Bi-hyuk from speaking and took a step closer to the man.
“No, we didn’t read it. We’re not interested.”
I was about to tell him to stop picking a fight and go his way, but he suddenly stopped.
“Of course you wouldn’t be interested. I know.”
“…?”
His voice suddenly sounded dejected.
‘He must be really sick.’
Fighting wasn’t the solution with someone like him.
I was thinking of the nearest hospital’s number when he mumbled.
“Who would be interested? I know that. If my notebook was worth stealing, there would be more viewers.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
He seemed trapped in his own world.
“Yes. Well, we’re leaving now.”
I bowed and left.
I calmed down the grumbling Noh Bi-hyuk as we headed to the café where the others were waiting.
* * *
“Who’s that guy? He keeps looking at us….”
Baek Seo-jin whispered anxiously. Park Ha-eun was just as uneasy.
‘This is really annoying.’
The man had followed us to the café.
Sitting at a distant table, he kept glancing our way, his eyes not normal.
I pressed Noh Bi-hyuk back into his seat as he tried to stand up.
“I called Jin-bae hyung to come here. He’ll be here in ten minutes. You stay with Ha-eun and Seo-jin.”
“What are you going to do?”
I’m going to ask why he’s following us.
When Park Ha-eun worried it might be dangerous, I reassured her.
Even if he was crazy and suddenly pulled out a knife, I wouldn’t get hurt. I’d had enough practice for today.
“Hello. Can I sit here?”
“…Huh? Oh, sure.”
The man answered, bewildered.
“Do you have something more to say to us?”
“Uh….”
“You know, it’s a dangerous world these days. The girls are here, so if you keep staring, I’ll get nervous.”
When I spoke calmly, the man flusteredly said he didn’t mean to.
“Then why are you here? It feels like you’re following us. If I’m mistaken, I’ll apologize.”
“No, you’re right. I followed you. I have something to say.”
The man apologized for overreacting earlier.
“Actually…, the movie you just watched, I made it.”
“……”
“It’s my first work… and probably my last. The notebook is my idea journal. I felt down because there were so few viewers, and when I saw a stranger with my notebook, I lost it. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m really sorry.”
He asked me to convey his apology to Noh Bi-hyuk as well, and I said I would.
‘Ha. I shouldn’t have called Jin-bae hyung.’
It felt like I was disturbing his rest for no reason.
Since we had cleared things up, I was about to get up when the man hesitated and asked.
“Can I ask how you felt about the movie?”
“You said you made the movie. Are you a writer? A director?”
“Both. It was such a low-budget project that I could barely cast actors. I had to borrow the camera and equipment from a friend at a discount.”
The man rambled on, wiping his face.
“I don’t know what I’m saying. Sorry. You can go.”
“The premise was interesting.”
“What?”
“The protagonist who wanted to die going back in time. The clear motive of avenging his brother, and his consistent attitude matched well with the flow of the story.”
The man’s expression turned blank.
I wondered how much I should say to avoid being rude. I thought carefully and spoke slowly.
“But it lacked a punch, you know? It was a bit disappointing.”
“A punch?”
“Yes. Time travel is a common trope these days. The point is how you differentiate it, and it seemed like you focused on the protagonist’s emotions.”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
“You seemed to slow down the pace to give the audience time to immerse themselves in the protagonist, but it might have been better if it was faster. It was so slow that it broke the focus.”
I planned to stop if he looked offended.
But the more I talked, the brighter his eyes got.
So I kept speaking.
“And the final scene would have been more impactful if it was shot in a crowded city.”
“Oh, I wanted to do that too! But the budget wouldn’t allow it.”
The man now had a childlike, earnest face.
The conversation wasn’t boring, so I thought about continuing, but then I saw Jin-bae hyung entering the café and changed my mind.
“I think I need to go now.”
“What?”
“I enjoyed our conversation, director. And I liked the movie too.”
I got up without hesitation.
As I approached Jin-bae hyung, the man suddenly asked.
“Do you want to write a script with me?”
I slowly turned around. Seeing his expectant face, I answered.
“No.”